Arsenal legend and ex-Aston Villa star Paul Merson has heaped praise on a Brazilian midfielder.

Merson has lauded Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz this week, calling him extremely underrated.

Luiz has been in the form of his life, scoring five league goals so far this term from central midfield.

"Douglas Luiz is the most underrated player in the Premier League," Merson told Sky Sports.

"No-one talks about him. He turns up for Aston Villa week in, week out.

"He's box to box, he scores goals and passes the ball extremely well. He's just a very good player. Villa have got a good team. They have a lot of underrated players.

"They've now got to try and keep the players fit. Clubs will also come sniffing around Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz, especially if the goals keep flowing, particularly for Watkins. He's such an improved player under Emery."